Folk Fiddle Duets

The harmony parts and arrangements that I write for traditional folk tunes began with the concept of fiddle duets – one fiddle player plays the melody, and another plays a harmony part as an accompaniment to the tune. This style of playing is a well-established tradition in the Scandinavian and American folk fiddle “twin-fiddle” styles, and it sometimes makes its way into the fiddle-playing of the UK and Ireland too.

Although all of my folk tune arrangements are written in four parts, they are flexible in how many instruments are needed. Larger groups can play them, but they can also be used as simple duets for two fiddles.

There are two ways to do this – you can either pick your favourite harmony part and stick with that, or you can switch around between different parts, because there are always two different harmony parts that will fit on a violin. One of them is the designated “violin 2” part, and the other is either “violin 3” or “viola” - you get both versions, written in treble clef and alto clef respectively so it can be played either by a violinist or a violist.